Balsamic Quinoa & Grilled Chicken Bowl

I know you are probably thinking…. “It’s fall… why are you posting a summer-y, fresh and cold meal instead of comfort food?” Well, let me be honest – sometimes, I crave cold dishes. Whether that be a cold deli sandwich, a fresh salad, or a chicken quinoa bowl with crispy fresh veggies (like this one)! I decided to whip this up the other day for lunch and it was honestly so refreshing. If you’re ever craving a fresh tasting, nourishing and delicious healthy lunch (or even dinner) then you will love this! Let me also add in that I am a balsamic vinegar fanatic. I mean, I literally dip crispy Italian Bread right into balsamic vinegar and love every bite! This dish was super easy to make, so fast to whip up, healthy and absolutely mouth watering!

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (cleaned, cut and tenderized)

1 cup of Italian Dressing

2 cups of Chicken Stock

1 cup of tricolor quinoa

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 cup of fresh tomatoes (diced into small cubes)

1 cup of cucumber (diced into small cubes)

1/4 cup of red onion (minced very thin and small)

1/4-1/2 cup of feta cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons of fresh basil (roughly chopped)

Balsamic Glaze

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions for Chicken:

Marinate the chicken breasts over night in traditional Italian Dressing.

Set oven to 350°F | Also, set heat to high on an outdoor grill or a stove top grill pan.

Once grill or grill pan is hot — place chicken breasts onto grill and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until you see dark grill marks.

(Chicken should not be at 160°F yet, unless the breasts are extremely thin.) Place half-cooked chicken onto a sheet pan lined with foil, and place in oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, checking on it half way through, or until internal temperature of the chicken is 160°F.

Once chicken is fully cooked, let it rest for a couple minutes. Put chicken into the refrigerator to cool. (I recommend putting the chicken into the refrigerator and serving this as a cold dish! It tastes much better this way in my opinion.)

Directions for Quinoa:

Add chicken stock and quinoa into a small pot. Bring quinoa and stock up to a boil over high heat. Once it is up to a boil, bring heat down to low, cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked.

While quinoa is cooking, dice up tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and basil.

Once quinoa is done, transfer quinoa into a mixing bowl. Next, add in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and put into the refrigerator to cool completely. (YOU DO NOT WANT TO ADD IN EVERYTHING WHILE QUINOA IS WARM OR HOT!)

Once quinoa is completely cooled, gently fold in tomatoes, cucumber, basil and feta.

Give it a taste. Add in salt & pepper to your liking.

Assemble:

Thinly slice chicken breasts into strips.

Place quinoa into the serving dish first and top with sliced grilled chicken. Drizzle balsamic glaze over the top of chicken and sprinkle with fresh basil.